Gaming device manufacturers strive to make wagering gaming devices that provide as much enjoyment, entertainment and excitement as possible for players. Providing interesting and exciting primary or base games and secondary or bonus games in which a player has an opportunity to win potentially large awards or credits is one way to enhance player enjoyment and excitement. Certain known gaming devices use mechanical devices, such as reels, to enhance the attraction of the machines to players and also to enhance the player's game playing experience. These mechanical devices enable a player to see physical movements of a game, a portion of a game, or a functional game event or element which increases the player's enjoyment of the game.
One known gaming device includes the generation of one or more symbols using one or more symbol generators, such as reels. In these slot machine gaming devices, the symbol generators each include a plurality of symbols. In this type of gaming device, if the player achieves a predetermined symbol or combination of symbols on the reels, the player wins an award. If the combination of symbols indicated on the reels is not a predetermined symbol or symbol combination, the gaming device does not provide an award to the player.
Such known gaming devices are typically dedicated to one type of game (e.g., a slot machine game, a poker game, a blackjack game), wherein their physical appearance are customized for the game provided. However, while some players prefer to repeatedly use one or a few favorite types or styles of gaming devices, many players enjoy trying out different types of games that appear new to them (i.e., which have a new or different type of game and/or prize structure). For example, at least some players may be more likely to play a gaming device if they perceive that the gaming device has a different configuration, compared to the configuration during the previous time the player played the gaming device.
Such known gaming devices may be modified to provide a different type of game, such as by converting a slot machine gaming device into a poker game gaming device or a blackjack gaming device. However, this typically requires hardware modifications to be performed (i.e., changing the mechanical or electromechanical reel sets utilized by the gaming device or changing an electronic card on which the game program is stored). Accordingly, gaming systems have been devised wherein a cluster of one or more gaming devices are in communication with a central server or controller. The central server stores a plurality of different game programs and communicates or “downloads” one or more of the stored game programs to one, more or each of the gaming devices in the cluster. In these gaming systems, when a game program is communicated to a gaming device, the gaming device executes the communicated program, thereby changing the type of game played at the gaming device.
When a slot machine gaming device includes a video display that displays one or more non-physical symbol generators, such as video reels, the conversion from a first game or type of slot machine game which utilizes one set of symbols on a set of symbol generators (such as reels) to a second game or type of slot machine game which utilizes another set of symbols on another set of symbol generators (which may or may not be the same set of symbol generators as the first game) is a relatively simple conversation. That is, the game program communicated from the central controller to the gaming device includes instructions or other suitable information regarding the appropriate non-physical symbol generator or reel configuration (i.e., a reel mapping of the symbols located on each non-physical reel) and the non-physical reel is used in a play or execution of the communicated game program. It should be appreciated that utilizing a video display, a first type of slot machine game may also be converted to a second type of poker, blackjack or other non-slot machine game simply by communicating a different game program from the central controller to the gaming device.
On the other hand, when a slot machine gaming device includes physical symbol generators, such as electromechanical or mechanical reels, the conversion from a first game or type of slot machine game which utilizes one set of symbols to a second game or type of slot machine game which utilizes another set of symbols presents many problems. One problem is that the physical symbol generators may not be altered or modified simply by a central controller communicating a different game program to the gaming device. Unlike a slot machine game with a video display which displays video or non-physical reels (wherein information regarding the utilized set of reels is included with the communicated game program), the configuration of the physical symbol generators is fixed and does not change regardless of which game program is communicated to the gaming device. Accordingly, in known gaming devices with physical symbol generators, any different game programs communicated to the gaming device must utilize the same physical symbol generators.
Concentric reels implemented on gaming devices for providing a single game are also known. A concentric reel includes an inner reel and at least one outer reel which are aligned on substantially the same rotational axis. The outer reel includes a plurality of symbols and at least one window. The inner reel includes a plurality of symbols. In a play of the game, the concentric reels are activated to cause the inner reel and the outer reel to move or rotate. When the inner and outer reel stop, one of the symbols of the outer reel or the window is indicated by a payline associated with the concentric reel. If the window is present on the payline, the symbol on the inner reel on the payline is viewable through the indicated window. The indicated symbol on the inner reel is part of the evaluated symbol combination with the other symbols of the other reels indicated by the payline. The gaming device provides an outcome, such as an award for any winning symbol or symbol combination associated with these symbols indicated by the payline. Accordingly, the different viewable areas or windows increase a player's excitement and enjoyment of the game because a player does not know which symbols will be visible or viewable through the viewable areas or windows and therefore the player does not know which symbol combinations will occur on the reel sets until the reel sets stop moving in a play of a game. It should thus be appreciated that symbols included on the inner reel and the outer reel are utilized for the play of one game.
Therefore, to increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide players with a gaming system wherein a plurality of gaming devices with physical reels may be utilized to each execute a plurality of different game programs.